Page 23 of The Witch Queen

He grins with an alluring smile and an air of forced charm, before pushing up his shirt sleeves. The movement brings my attention to his forearms, their flexing the only sign of his discomfort. The tan skin there makes my mouth go dry, and I hate the way I react to him. I scowl to hide the effect he has on me, which only makes him grin wider, accentuating the dimple on his right cheek. I stare at it for a beat too long, mesmerized, then chastise myself for studying him that closely. He takes a single step forward but stops when Lunaria bares her teeth in a hiss.

“Good girl,” I murmur to her, low enough so only she can hear. Inexplicably, the Prince must hear me, because his lips twitch with mischief.

The massive warrior from the court day stands behind him—Fionn—honey-blonde hair pulled into a bun at his nape. He wears the leathers of a soldier, the same he wore the day of the attack, and his bronze eyes are wide in fear that he doesn’t, or can’t, hide. Beside him is a fae female, who must be Prince Hawthorne’s betrothed. She’s short, with coiled black hair and intelligent eyes. I immediately identify her as the brain of their triad. She doesn’t look afraid, not in the way the warrior does, but her expression is wary and studious as she takes in the throne room, Lunaria, and finally, me.

Prince Hawthorne smiles again, then says, “It’s a delight tofinallymeet you, Your Majesty.”

Hawthorne

The Thayarian throne room is as dangerous as it is alluring. With windows open to the vines that cover the palace facade, monarchs have access to a deadly weapon. It is also rumored that the room itself is built atop a carefully maintained thayar greenhouse, providing an extra magical boost to those who sit on the throne of laurel.

A Brief History of Modern Thayaria

My first thought when my eyes land on the Witch Queen is that no one has ever spoken of how beautiful she is. She’s also fucking terrifying, especially with all the fog, slithering vines, and dim lights that I’m sure are her doing. Despite the dark makeup, her eyes are bright, piercing and viridescent—her milk-white skin providing the perfect backdrop for the beautiful green to shine. I have to force my gaze away from them. Her figure is all soft features, from the small, button nose to the voluptuous legs on full display in a tantalizing dress that leaves little to the imagination. A dress that exposes too much to keep my eyes from dipping to her chest. My mouth goes dry at her full breasts and curvy figure, and I try to cover it with a wide smile that I know exposes my dimple. Her delicate, heart-shaped lips purse in suspicion, and I take an involuntary step toward her, unable to stop my body from moving closer. Her features sharpen at the same time the enormous black feline next to her stands, arches its back, and hisses. I swear I hear her murmur praise to the hellish beast, and my lips quirk involuntarily. She adjusts herself, causing her long reddish-brown hair to sweep across her breasts, drawing my attention back to them and emptying my mind of all rational thought. I take a deep breath and intentionally move my eyes to the cat that now looks like it will gouge my eyes out with a single swipe of its massive paw.Get it together.

When I woke the morning after our pub-crawl with the worst hangover in a hundred years, I panicked the moment I saw that the letter I only vaguely remembered writing the evening before was gone. Silene and Fionn had stared at me in horror as I told them of the drunken missive I’d written, with threats and demands so aggressive we were sure she’d kill us immediately. I’d waited in anticipation all day, my head pounding and my body aching from the ale.

When her reply came, we all read it together, not sure what to make of the cheeky response. It matched the aggression of my letter, maneuvering through her own threats with expert precision and calling me out for complaining about doing the work of an ambassador. But it was also… funny. Or at least, I thought it was. She called her interactions with my father ‘unhappy affairs.’ It was also more honest than I expected, and that gave me hope I might make a real ally of her.

“It’s a delight tofinallymeet you, Your Majesty,”I say as I stand in front of the imposing monarch.Shit, why did I have to stress the ‘finally.’Recovering, I add, “I confess the letter I sent was written in a… compromised state of mind. Your Thayarian ale is more potent than I expected.” I try to look sheepish, dropping my eyes to the ground and rubbing my hand on the back of my neck before looking back up at her with my brightest and most magnetic smile. If I have any hope of recovering this situation, I need her to find me unthreatening and attractive. Thankfully, that’s my specialty.

“I find that when inebriated, one’s truest emotions and feelings come to the surface,” she says coolly, not missing a beat.Fuck, this is going poorly.Vines inch closer to my feet, not quite wrapping around them, but the threat of her is clearly conveyed.

“While the letter may have expressed the spirit of my emotion clearly, it certainly did not reflect my true intentions. That was the ale talking.” I wink. She stares me down, expression unmoved, apparently immune to my charms. After what feels like a lifetime of tense silence, her lips finally quirk, barely visible.

“Thayarian ale is indeed potent, due to the unique way in which it’s made,” she acknowledges, giving me the smallest bit of slack on the line she’s hooked me on, though the vines at my feet don’t move away. One of them inches up my leg, and I look at her sharply. This time, a challenging smile full of mirth crosses her lips before the vine returns to the ground. She wants to get a reaction from me, and that thought is more exciting that it should be.

“Indeed,” I say, ignoring the threat before I gesture to Fionn and Silene. “May I introduce Fionn Solanum, my close friend and advisor, and Silene Kalmeera.” I intentionally don’t introduce Silene as my betrothed. Fionn and Silene both bow again but remain silent.

“Welcome to Thayaria, Fionn and Silene,” the Queen says. “I trust you’ve found your accommodations comfortable.” They both nod. Then she pins me with a look, all the warmth drained from her voice as she says, “So, Prince Hawthorne, you requested this meeting. What is it you wished to discuss with me?”

Right to the point. I squirm under her calculating gaze, sure she could wink me out of existence like she did the weapons when the rebels attacked. I smile through my discomfort, used to these kinds of interactions from a lifetime living with my father in the Velmaran Court.

“I simply wished to meet the notorious female whose court and kingdom I’m to spend my time getting to know. This arrangement is an extension of friendship, is it not? I’d like to extend that friendship to the monarch herself.” I flash another grin, though she seems impervious to them.

“Well, you’ve met me and have delivered yourkindwords of friendship. If that’s all, you’re dismissed,” she says coldly, then stands. The advisors seated several yards away in the room stand with her.

I tense, knowing this could be the last time I see her if I don’t offer her something. “Wait,” I rush out. She lifts a single brow. “I discovered interesting… information about the Sons and Daughters of Thayaria while out drinking. I thought you’d like to know what I uncovered.” The room shakes slightly with what I think is Laurel’s power.Fascinating.

Pressure on my legs reveals vines that wrap up my thighs. They squeeze tightly and pin me in place, only inches away from myfavoritepart of my body. I barely have time to consider what castration by plants would feel like before there’s a prickling sensation on my neck. A small dagger made of water hovers right near my jugular. She’s got me entirely at her mercy, and something tingles low in my stomach at that thought. Am Iattractedto the Witch Queen? The idea is unfathomable, and yet, I can’t look away from her full hips and the curve of her waist.

The familiar zing of a weapon being unsheathed brings me out of my lust-addled haze, Fionn’s huff behind me telling me he doesn’t like Laurel’s antics one bit. The dagger at my neck only presses in harder, shockingly sharp for something made of water. It doesn’t break skin—yet—but I have no doubt it could if she wanted it to. I can’t stop my heavy breathing, my nerves reaching a breaking point even for me. Within minutes, the meeting has devolved into threats and drawn weapons. Silene appears at my side, though she has the sense not to draw a weapon or call on her magic. The tension in the air is as thick as the swirling mist the Witch Queen conjures around us.

“Easy, Fionn,” I murmur to diffuse the tension. He sheathes his weapon, and the vines release their grip slightly. The dagger disappears, though I know she could conjure it again instantly if she wished.

The Queen pauses for a moment, staring me down with those enchanting eyes, then sits again. She studies me closely, and I can’t stop the shivers that wrack my body under her assessing gaze. I’m supposed to be seducing her, and yetI’mthe one who can’t look away. The silence stretches as the vines around my legs fully unwind. For a moment, I think she won’t respond, that she’s waiting for me to speak again.

“Everyone out,” she finally commands. Her advisors look surprised, eyes wide and mouths open.

Admon stands. “Your Majesty,” he begins, but she cuts him off.

“I said, everyone out. I wish to speak to Prince Hawthornealone.” This time, aether laces her voice, and I’m forced to my knees in shock along with everyone else in the room.She’s stronger than me.The realization is as exhilarating as it is terrifying.

Beside me on the ground, Silene murmurs a heated, “What the hell are you doing?”

“Wasn’t going well, had to improvise,” I whisper back as the three of us stand again. Her advisors file out of the room, trading wary glances between themselves.

“That order applies to you as well, Ambassadors Kalmeera and Solanum,” she says, though her voice is softer this time. At least her ire only seems to be directed toward me. Fionn and Silene hesitate, turning taut expressions and worried eyes to me. I give them a subtle nod that tells them I’ll be fine, and they slowly back out of the room, their training keeping them from showing their backs to the threat.

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